For more than 100 years, the residents of Pensacola have been dropping coins into The Salvation Army’s red kettles at Christmas to support needy families.
The holiday tradition begins anew on Friday, Nov. 14, as bell ringers appear at stores in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties to start the annual Christmas campaign. The Salvation Army’s goal this year is to raise $375,000 from the kettle campaign, the major fund-raising drive that supports the year-round programs of the charity.
The Salvation Army in Pensacola appreciates your support of its charitable mission to
meet human needs in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. Community donations support a wide
range of services to those in need including:
* Food for the hungry
* Shelter and food for homeless men and women
* Clothing for families in need
* Emergency assistance in paying utility bills
* Holiday toys and meals to the needy at Christmas
* Recovery and rehabilitation for those with drug and alcohol addictions
* Job skills education
* A community center which provides a safe place for youth to go as well as organized athletic programs and a summer camp
* Disaster response to help victims of natural or man-made disasters such as the floods which hit Escambia and Santa Rosa counties earlier this year.
The Christmas kettles date back to 1891, when a Salvation Army captain in San Francisco resolved to provide a free Christmas dinner to the area’s poor. From his days as a sailor in Liverpool, England, the captain remembered a large pot where passersby would toss charitable donations. The captain presented his idea to city authorities and received permission to place a similar pot by the docks of San Francisco’s Market Place. By Christmas 1895, 30 Salvation Army corps on the West Coast were using the red Christmas kettles.
“The Salvation Army in Pensacola wishes to thank all of the organizations that support our campaign with volunteers or by allowing us to staff a kettle stand outside their stores. Kettles will be set up in over 25 locations across Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties including Gulf Breeze,†said Captain Bob Cornett, area commander of The Salvation Army. “Their participation is essential to a successful Kettle Campaign.â€
“This year, we are asking people in the community to take five minutes out of their day to call in and volunteer to ring a bell on a convenient time, to drop a five dollar donation in a kettle they see during the holidays,†Capt. Cornett added. “Every donation makes a difference too, in the lives of the men, women and children served by The Salvation Army in Pensacola.â€
If you want to help The Salvation Army as a red kettle volunteer, please call 432-1501 or to make an online donation to support our local services, go to www.salvationarmypensacola.com or call 1-800-SalArmy.